Brassiere and girdle construction



H. STEINER BRASSIERE AND GIRDLEI CONSTRUCTION Filed Jan. 21, 1955 March26, 1957 IIVI/ENT'OR BY Harry B'iein er 7%a/rrn Ym/u ATTORNEYS Iva.

United States Patent BRASSIERE AND GIRDLE CONSTRUCTION Harry Steiner,Brooklyn, N. Y., assignor to Cord De Parie Corset Company, Inc., NewYork, N. Y., a corporation of New York Application January 21, 1955,Serial No. 483,290 6 Claims. (Cl. 2-42) This invention relates to theconstruction of brassieres, girdles and analogous garments.

An object of the present invention is the provision of a brassiere orlike garment embodying improved features of construction by virtue ofwhich the wearers busts are properly supported with the desired effectwhile allowing a vertical or up and down stretching action-for desiredbust movement; and also allowing a transverse stretch of the brassierebelow the breast pockets in the region of the wearers thorax therebyachieving proper diaphragm control and at the same time eliminatingmidriif bulge with no nip at the waist line so that the waist is thuseased.

Applied to a girdle or foundation garment the present constructionenables the wearer to have free movement in taking a sitting positionand in bending forward and backward.

With the foregoing, other advantages and benefits of the presentinvention will appear when the following description is read inconjunction with the accompanying drawing in which Fig. 1 is a frontview of a brassiere constructed in accordance with the presentinvention.

Fig. 2 is the inside of a portion of the brassiere.

Fig. 3 is an enlarged vertical sectional view taken on the line 3--3 ofFig. 1 and looking in the direction indicated by the arrows.

Fig. 4 is a rear view of a foundation garment or girdle embodying theinvention.

Fig. 5 is a vertical sectional view, the section being taken on the line55 of Fig. 4 and looking in the direction indicated by the arrows.

The brassiere as shown in Figs. 1, 2 and 3 of the drawing comprises abody band or belt having shoulder straps 11 and cooperative means at theends of the band to detachably connect said ends, which together withthe straps 11 support the brassiere on the wearers body.

The band 10 embodies curviform breast pockets or cups 12 of anypreferred material or combination of different materials. Panels 13forming parts of the band 10 are arranged below the pockets 12respectively in a side by side relation. The adjacent vertical edges ofthe panels 13, and the adjacent vertical edges of the pockets 12, areconnected to each other by a continuous line of stitching or othersecuring means 14.

Each of the panels 13 comprises sections or portions 15 and 16respectively. Adjacent edges of the portions 15 and 16 are secured toeach other throughout by means of reinforcing crisscrossed ribbons andlines of stitching 17. The upper edges of the portions 15 and 16 incontinuation of each other are curved in conformation to the curvatureof the related pocket 12 at the bottom of the latter. The lower edge ofthe panel 13 formed by the portions 15 and 16 is straight or nearly so.The portion 15 is made of two plies of non-stretchable or inelasticmaterial, there being one front ply of lace and an inner ply of wovenfabric in the present instance. The portion 16 is made of woven fabricwhich is elastic or stretchice able lengthwise with respect to the band'10, or transversely with respect to the wearers body.

An insert 19 is interposed between each pocket 12 and the related panel13. The insert 19 is made of woven fabric which is elastic orstretchable only vertically in use. The upper arcuate edge of the panel13 has stitched to it a ribbon 13 which causes the brassiere to lieagainst the curvature of the body of the wearer directly below thebreast during body movements holding panel 13 against the body more likean elastic girdle. The insert 19 has its upper arcuate edge stitchedthroughout to the lower arcuate edge of the material of the relatedpocket 12, use being made of a ribbon 20. The use of the ribbons 18 and20 give a neat and finished appearance to the bras siere where thepanels 13 and the pockets 12 meet. The lower V-shaped edge of the insert19 is sewn to the portions 15 and 16 of the respective panels 13 by acontinuous line of zig-zag stitching 21 below the upper edges of theportions 15 and 16 on the inside thereof. Thus the insert 19 is securedto the related panel 13 below the upper edge of the latter in anoverlapping relation in which the insert 19 is covered by the upperportion of the panel 13. The upper portion of each of panels 13 has afree upper end and overlaps and covers the stretchable inserts 19. Theconstruction of the panel 13 is one which is made in part of inelasticmaterial by virtue of the portion 15, and made in part of horizontallyor transversely elastic material by virtue of the portion 16.

From the foregoing it will be understood that by reason of thevertically stretchable inserts 19 the brassiere embodies means whichenables up and down bust movement, without excessive strain, properlysupported by the pockets 12; that the panels 13 reduce to a minimum thepossibility of the brassiere riding upwardly on the wearers body; thatby reason of the transversely or horizontally stretchable portions 16,the band 10 is self-adjustable to the wearers body without disturbingthe disposition of the pockets 12, due to the extension and contractionof the portions 16 below the lines of stitching 21, or at the wearerswaist line with the result that the wearers waist is eased; and that thementioned stretchable nature of the portions 16 also enables diaphragmcontrol so as not to adversely affect the wearers natural respirationbecause the transverse or horizontal stretch occurs between the lines ofstitching 21 and the bottom edge of the band 10 at the waist line of thewearer.

In Figs. 4 and 5 there is shown a foundation garment or girdle which isgenerally elastic transversely about the hips and waist of the wearer.The garment includes a central rear panel 25 stitched or seamed in thegarment along its opposite vertical side edges. The panel 25 comprisesthree rectangular sections, namely, a lower inelastic section 26 of laceor other inelastic material, an upper horizontally elastic section 27 ofwoven material, and an intermediate vertically elastic section 28 ofwoven material.

The intermediate vertically elastic section 28 is in the nature of aninsert. It is interposed between the sections 26 and 27 and has itsupper edge seamed to the lower edge of the horizontally elastic section27 and its lower edge stitched to the inelastic section 26 horizontallyacross the same below the upper edge of the section 26 at the insidethereof. The upper portion of the section 26 covers the section 28thereby giving a neat and finished appearance to the garment where thepanel 25 is located. By reason of the interposition of the verticallyelastic section 28, the garment in use may stretch vertically so thatthe wearer has free movement in taking a sitting position and in bendingforward and backward and prevents the garment from riding upward-1y.

I claim:

1. In a garment of the character described, a body being free and notconnected to the respective breast pocket, whereby the upper portion ofeach of said panels has a free upper end and overlaps and covers each ofsaid stretchable inserts.

2. In a garment as set forth in claim 1, wherein the upper edge of saidpanel is curved to substantially conform to the shape of the relatedbreast pocket.

3; In a garment of the character described, a body band comprisingpanels made in part of material stretchable transversely with respect tothe wearers body, said panels having their adjacent vertical edgesconnected to each other, breast pockets of non-stretchable materialconnected to each other at the front and center of the garment invertical alignment with the vertical edges of said panels, and insertsmade of vertically stretchable material interposed between said panelsand breast pockets respectively, the upper edges of said inserts beingstitched to the lower edges of the respective breast pockets, and thelower edges of the inserts being stitched to the respective panels belowthe upper edges of the latter on the inside thereof the upper edge ofeach panel being free and not connected to the respective breast pocket,whereby the upper portion of each of said panels have a free upper endand overlaps and covers each of said stretchable inserts.

4, In a brassiere or the like, a body band having breast pockets, andpanels arranged below said pockets respectively and connected to eachother side by side, each of said panels comprising a portion made ofnon-stretchable fabric and a portion made of fabric stretchable onlytransversely-with respect to the wearers body and having ad- 4. jacentedges stitched to each other, and inserts made of material stretchableonly vertically interposed between said pockets and panels respectivelyback of said panels, the inserts having their upper edges stitched tothe respective pockets and their lower edges being stitched to therespective panels below the upper edges of the latter the upper edge ofcach -panel being free and not connectedtto the respective breastpocket,whereby-the upper portion of each of said panels have a free upper endand overlaps and covers -eachiof said-"stretchablew inserts.

5. An undergarmentcomprisinga:panel'madeof inaterial stretchabletransversely with'respect to the wearers body; said panel oftransversely stretchable material being secured to a panel made ofvertically stretchable material; and a panel madeof non-stretchablematerial secured to said panel of vertically stretchable material, saidpanel of non-stretchable material overlapping at least a portion of saidpanel of vertically stretchable material to conceal the same.

6. In a garment as set forth in claim 2, wherein a ribban is stitchedalongsaid upper edge of each'oi said panels whereby said panels are heldagainst the curvature of the body of the wearer below the breast at alltimes.

References Cited in the tile of this patent UNITED STATESPATENTS-2,160,078 Mayer May 30, 1939 2,299,903 Kahn Oct. 27, 1942 2,437,655Rosner Mar. 9, 1948 2,443,225 Cadous June 15, 1948 2,466,867 Rosner Apr.12, 1949 2,472,765 Shulman June 7, 1949 2,490,137 Keller Dec. 6, 19492,490,415 Ciringione Dec. 6, 1949 2,506,172 lBllIl May 2, 1950 2,548,730Kunstadter Apr. 10, 1951 2,634,419 Pioli Apr. .14, 1953 2,651,040 Block-a Sept. 8, 1953

